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Sem 265
Interviewee: William Osceola
Date: June 27, 2000
Page 1

Sem 265

Interviewee: William Osceola

Interviewer: J. Ellison

Date: June 27, 2000

E: Today's date is the 27th of June, 2000. My name is Jim Ellison and I am sitting with

William Osceola at the church the new church facility on the Trail. This is going to be

a Baptist Church?

O: Yes.

E: We are going to do an interview, today. To start off with, is William Osceola, your full

name?

O: No, it is my full name. William Osceola. My Indian name is

E: How would you spell it?

O: I have no idea. (Laughing) My wife knows how to spell it.

E: What does it mean?

O: It is a name after one of my uncles, one of my uncles from the past. But I have no idea

what it means.

E: Would you say it again so I could ... ?

0: neohatchi

E: I am not going to be able to spell that.

Sem 265
Interviewee: William Osceola
Date: June 27, 2000
Page 2

O: It is hard.

E: Something like did you say Cachug nee hatchi?

O: Ca chugneehatchi, yeah.

E: And you were given that name at a Green Corn Dance?

O: Yeah.

E: And it is from an uncle whose has deceased.

O: Yeah, one of his names.

E: And you don't know what it means?

O: Not right now, I don't.

E: And you are a member of the Panther Clan? We were talking earlier and you said you

were born in ...

O: ...in Broward County.

E: In Broward County, over toward ...

O: I was born in Fort Lauderdale, Broward General Hospital. 1953

E: But you said you parents were from here.

O: Yeah. Originally, they were from here. Then they migrated to the Hollywood

Reservation. Like my Uncle Bill, and all them, they were like the founders of the

Seminole Tribe.

E: Bill Osceola.

O: Yeah. Yes, he is my Uncle.

E: Did you say that your Uncle was your father's brother or your Mother's brother?

Sem 265
Interviewee: William Osceola
Date: June 27, 2000
Page 3

O: Father's brother.

E: So, he was involved in the founding in the 1950's?

O: Yeah. He, Frank Billie and a lot of them were involved. Willie Frank, Tiger, I am

trying to remember. Most of them are gone, now. Frank Billie is about the only one left,

I think, that was one of the founders of the Tribe, that is still alive, today.

E: I heard him speak a couple of weeks ago to a graduating class up in Big Cypress. So, you

were born and raised in the Hollywood area, then. Born in Fort Lauderdale ...

O: Yeah, in Hollywood. At the time, it was called Dania Reservation. Virgil Harrington

used to be there, he used to be work for the BIA. He was the one that there for a long

time. He was a good ole boy. He just passed away about five years ago.